Forget the white tickets with a time and date – a repurposed parking meter in Christchurch’s Cathedral Square will today begin dishing out a parking ticket with a difference.

The quirky meter will be spitting out ideas for “sweet, free adventures” around Christchurch, unlocking some the city’s best kept secrets.

Gap Filler and the All Right? campaign have unveiled the parking meter as part of Open City, a project which aims to celebrate the “undervalued, sweet, free things to do in our city”.

“The Open City parking meter delivers you your own Christchurch secret to explore. It might be a good climbing tree in the Botanic Gardens, an interesting courtyard within a new building, or a great place to feed the eels,” said Gap Filler Co-Founder Coralie Winn.

"These little secrets and more have been suggested by other locals and visitors. Each adventure will help you get to know your city better through someone else’s eyes. At the heart of this project is questioning how we give value to things in our city; very often the things we value the most don’t cost money.”

The parking meter is already loaded with 50 great secrets to explore, and is expected to be a major hit with families over the school holidays.

All Right? campaign manager Sue Turner, said the Open City project would help Cantabrians reconnect with their city.

“As more and more people return to our city centre it’s important to find ways to help them reconnect with what is now a very different city than it was pre-quake. And one of the best ways to do this is sharing people’s own ideas on great things to do in our city.”

“The Open City website allows anyone to upload their favourite sweet, free things to do. If it’s an activity within the four avenues, it could be issued by the parking meter,” Ms Turner said.

“It’s a great, free family activity or the holidays,. There are already 50 great secrets to explore, none of them cost a cent, and they all help you get your family outside and out of the house.”

Ms Winn said Gap Filler had evolved as an organisation and was no longer limited to vacant sites, empty buildings or walls.

“Projects can be sited in the public realm space too – this we’ve seen already from our recent Ping Pong project at the end of Cashel Mall and the Super Street Arcade on Tuam and High Streets. These are not post-quake sites, but rather they seek to infuse some of the original post-quake energy and values into our emerging rebuilt city.

“This project also might help those newer to Christchurch - like migrants or workers who have moved from elsewhere in New Zealand for the rebuild - connect with those who have lived here for a long time. It's like they're being brought in on local secrets and part of a 'secret club' when they read a 'sweet, free thing to do' as suggested by a local.”